Christmas Season in Poland

One of the reasons I became an exchange student was not only to learn other cultures and traditions, but to also take part in them. Christmas is celebrated in many different ways around Europe, but this year I have been fortunate enough to take part in a Polish Christmas in Koszalin. I have written about my sights in Berlin, Germany during this Christmas season but my Polish sights and experience mean so much more to me. Berlin was more like a vacation, so I took the time to see the sights and absorb it all. Poland is a much different experience. I have become so attached to this remarkable country that I just want to observe, discover, and experience as much as possible and not just from a traveler’s or tourist’s point of view but from a person who actually is involved in the Polish culture. I experienced most of this season in my city of Koszalin, which isn’t a popular tourist city but I was also able to travel to Wrocław.

Christmas Season in Koszalin, Poland

I find the month of December here in Koszalin to be reasonably simple and not over the top. Stores here are filled with candy and Christmas merchandise such as ornaments and house décor. Malls are filled with shoppers during the weekends with some additional entertainment like angles walking amongst the crowds. Stalls within the mall are set up selling miniature Christmas trees, Christmas pastries, and ornaments. I am saddened to not find traditional Polish ornaments or dolls for sale. Everything for sale is so modern. Polish objects are usually found within Christmas Markets and unfortunately Koszalin doesn’t have one. Other than the mall and Town Center not many lights or decorations are to be found around the city. It’s hard for people living in apartments to decorate outside.
The center is beautifully lit up at night gleaming off the fresh snow.. Temperatures here are really cold this time of year dropping to a range of –13 to 5 degrees F. Snow boots, thick coats, hats, scarves, and gloves are a necessity.

Saint Nicholas (Mikolajki) Celebration in Poland
Celebrated on December 6th, 2009

Most European countries take the time to celebrate Saint Nicholas Day with their families. Each country however celebrates this holiday according to their traditions. This year on December 6th I had the chance to take part in some of the Polish traditions of the holiday Mikolajki, or otherwise known as Saint Nicholas Day.
Kids here in Poland typically wake up on the morning of the sixth and find small presents by their beds. My experience was a bit different. On the night of the fifth my family had just arrived home from our trip to Berlin. We ended up getting home around midnight and when I got to my room Saint Nicholas already came for me. He was so nice in getting me a shopping bag, a Christmas tea mug, and lots of candy. Saint Nicholas day is usually a holiday for children to receive gifts but sometimes he visits adults as well. He visited my mother this year and left her a nice Christmas breadbasket. It’s typical for him to give small presents like soaps, shampoos, Christmas items, and lots of chocolate. Stores around Koszalin started to sell Christmas merchandise about a week before Saint Nicholas Day, unlike the United States with holiday items on the shelves after Halloween. Saint Nicholas also visited my grandparent’s houses and left my sister and me presents so my Babcia (Grandma) dropped them off. Families don’t tend to get together and celebrate this holiday and there aren’t any special meals planned or church services that day. It is a preparation day for what is about to come.

Saint Nicholas (Mikolajki) Celebration At School Class
Celebrated on December 4th, 2009

My school here in Poland has three grade levels and each grade is split up into individual classes. Throughout the whole year you remain with this same class of about 30 kids. You celebrate holidays in school with your classmates.
For Saint Nicholas Day my class planned a secret gift exchange. A week prior we picked names. I ended up choosing my friend Ola so I wrapped some glass jewelry I brought from the Untied States and added some American candy for her. I have been unable to find peppermint candy canes here. Only fruity flavored ones. Our party was scheduled during one of our classes. A student from a different class joined us dressed as Santa Claus. We gave him all of our gifts. We had to do something special to receive our gift. Some sat on his lap and told him what they wanted for Christmas and others sang pieces of songs. I decided to sing a bit of “Jingle Bells”. I received some soaps and a really cute heart pillow CD case from my friend Ala.

Christmas Season Activities

During the Christmas season many families take part in various activities to bring the family closer together. Here are just a couple:

The One and Only Christmas Tree. (Ta jedna, jedyna choinka.)

In the United States I’m accustomed to purchasing a Christmas tree with my family in the beginning of December and decorating it with them. Here in Poland my sister and I got a chance to scout out the perfect Polish Christmas tree two weeks before Christmas.

An old Polish tradition is to purchase a Christmas tree and wait till Christmas Eve to set it up and decorate it with your family members. My sister and I bundled up and set out to find a perfect Christmas tree to place in our flat.

Here in Koszalin it really isn’t too hard to find a place to purchase a Christmas tree, but finding the perfect one is a different story. The Christmas trees are cut down and wrapped in netting and are driven to empty lots around the city. I would say within a mile radius there are about seven or eight different tree vendors. I thought picking out a Christmas tree would be fairly easy but trees aren’t so thick with branches and bristles. Most are about medium size and are somewhat bare compared to trees I’ve seen in the United States. We were looking very hard for the thickest tree so we could fill it with tons of decorations and ornaments. We ended up catching a bus and went to another Christmas tree lot to continue looking around. It took some time but there it was. It stood out to me because it was so full compared to the other trees I’ve seen. It took me some time to actually notice why it was so full. It was two trees in one. The trunk was about a foot in length then it parted into two separate trunks each with its own branches filled with bristles. Karolina also liked the tree a lot.

We purchased this 7 foot tree for 120 zloty which is equivalent to 45 US dollars. The tree workers wrapped our tree in netting for easy transportation and were set to go. There was one problem; we were a mile away from home and couldn’t walk all the way home in the freezing cold snow. Karolina and I ended up taking the bus home with tree in tow. We got a lot of stares and I felt weird transporting a tree on the bus. I don’t think that happens too often. It wasn’t until we arrived home that I realized that we needed to carry this tree up an additional seven flights of stairs. I’d never put this much work into getting a Christmas tree before. We carefully maneuvered up the stairs until we reached the top and quickly went inside to warm up from our Christmas tree task.

Making Pierniczki (Gengerbread)

My sister and I had the chance to make Polish pierniki, otherwise known as gingerbread, with each other. Gingerbread all around the world is a traditional Christmas sweet. Gingerbread is a very important dessert here in Poland whether it’s gingerbread cakes or cookies.
Karolina and I took the time to make cookies with each other. It was fun cooking these wonderful pastries with her because we had about three hours on our hands to talk, have fun, and also enjoy the wonderful tastes and smells of the gingerbread cookies. We cooked, cut and decorated about 70 cookies to be served this Christmas Eve.

Christmas Season in Wrocław, Poland

I had the chance to explore this touristy town during this Christmas season. It was a treat. A town square known as the Renek was the location of my first Polish Christmas market. My best friend Katelyn, another exchange student, introduced me to this wonderful spectacle.
There were more than 50 different stalls filled with Polish jewelry, pottery, ornaments, and nativity scenes. I picked up a bunch of Polish pottery ornaments and a wooden nativity scene with bee wax sculptures. My mother really likes collecting bee items since my great grandfather was a bee keeper. I thought that would be a nice present for her. My Rotary club from Johnstown sent some extra money for Christmas. I used some of it to purchase ornaments for myself. I will keep them wrapped for my Christmas trees over my lifetime to share with my children one day. They will get to hear all my stories and memories of my time in Poland.
The Polish kielbasa, pierniki, and crepe stalls were also present and sent delicious smells throughout the whole square. My mouth is watering even now. A very small carnival was positioned in the center of this market with a few games.
I absolutely fell in love with the Christmas decorations in the Renek. There was a sleigh with two stuffed toy reindeer available for pictures. The food stalls were unique. One was turned into a huge story pyramid about Christmas and the other was decorated out of marvelous dark wood. The Renek is surrounded with buildings that look like they just popped out of an old vintage European movie which made this whole experience even more magical.

An Exchange Student’s Christmas Season Spent in Europe

Christmas Season.  Such a wonderful time that occurs at the end of each year.  It’s a magnificent celebration to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Christmas for me back in the United States usually starts right after my sisters’ birthday on December 1^st.  We go to the Christmas tree farm, choose our Christmas Tree and decorate it with each other.  We place homemade ornaments we made through the school years alongside ornaments we collected during our military moves. Lots of memories and conversations follow.  Mailing Christmas cards, baking cookies also brings Christmas joy to me! Being together as a family makes the holiday special.

So, for me, being an exchange student this time of year can cause a little homesickness. During my Christmas here in Poland there are quite a few times where I would stop and wish that my family were here to share the sites and food. It is hard to be in a different country, celebrating different holidays, with an entirely different family than the one you have grown up in.  Fortunately, since my arrival, I have bonded with my new host family. They have taken me in as a daughter.  I am really happy to be here with them and they do have a special place in my heart.

Celebrating Christmas in an entirely different country, with a new family, comes new and different traditions. Here in Europe it all starts in the beginning of December.

Part One: Christmas Time in Germany

One chilly day in Germany, I had the chance to see this wonderful country during the Christmas Season.  Iwona, my Polish teacher, invited my mother, sister and me to join her and her travel group to visit Berlin for a day.  It was a really cold winter day. This was my second trip Berlin. It  stood out more this time than the first because of all the celebrating going on for Christmas and Saint Nicholas Day held on December 6^th in Germany and Poland.

Our travel group began our journey throughout Berlin on foot.  I was exhausted when we got off the bus.  That morning I had to wake up at four to get ready to leave.  I slept the entire four hour bus ride to Berlin.  The buses we take on these trips are similar to Greyhound buses in the US so they are very comfortable for these long travels.

Once I stepped off the bus the frigid air instantly woke me up.  It was the coldest I’d felt in Europe since I arrived.  This was a sign that the winter season was on its way! The cold air was so distracting.  For those first few minutes all I could do was bundle up and hope the freezing wind wouldn’t kick in.

My eyes opened wide once I saw the towering structure of the Fernsehturm. It is a tall television tower that was accompanied by a huge Ferris wheel.  During my previous trip to Berlin it hadn’t been there.  This time it stood in front of the tower, which made for a few perfect snap shots.  During this Christmas holiday there was a fair located near this tower with a merry-go-round and game booths. It look almost like a traveling carnival.

Throughout the day we were scheduled to go to two different museums.  By the canal in Berlin there were two large ornaments that stood about seven or eight feet tall.  Tourists took pictures of and by them.  There was also a huge, and I mean, HUGE Christmas advertisement that took up a whole building for Coca Cola.

Past the canal, hidden behind this huge building was my first sight of a European Christmas Market.  I’ve seen these markets online and in movies but this was a jaw dropping sight to me.  It began in a space between these two buildings and continued up a large ally.  There were more than 50 stalls in view and even more behind the buildings.  These small stalls with triangle roofs were decorated with the same Christmas lights but each supplied different wonderful Christmas merchandise.  My eyes quickly picked up the sight of the Russian Stacker Dolls and the Nutcrackers.  Those are my favorite.  Each was decorated in a special way.

The smell of sauerkraut filled the air but then I passed the roasted nut cart (aww…..!).  The scent of crunchy caramelized nuts and almonds filled my nose. Cinnamon and honey were present as well.  By this point I was very hungry. The group had to stick together and stick to a schedule. It only gave me a minute to soak in my first experience.

Our next stop was at the famed Brandenburg Gate which had the biggest Christmas tree I’ve ever seen.  It was taller than a three story house.  The tree was beautifully decorated with flat colorful wooden carved ornaments.

At night, our travel group went to the Potsdamer Platz Market (Weihnachtsmarkt).  This was one of the better Markets in Berlin at the time.  I know that there were at least four differnt Christmas Markets spread out across Berlin at the time. Most of the group split up, but the four of us (my mother, sister, Iwona and I) stuck together.  They all noticed my reaction earlier and knew I would really love this experience so they made me start from the beginning.  I wouldn’t even call it a market.  It was more like a festival.  Everything was illuminated at night and more grand. It really hit me that I was actually in Europe for Christmas.

There were over one hundred stands and carts filled with hand crafted baskets, toys, and Christmas ornaments made from pottery and bees wax.  Rugs, table cloths, household items and such were also found there. Items from all cultures and nationalities including Ukrainian dolls and ornaments and Indian cloths and jewelry were for sale.

In the middle of this festival there was a large rectangle of ice with people playing what looked like a larger than life game of shuffleboard.  It looked like a fun game.

You could hear the loud laughter and screams of the children (and adults) from the great big sliding ramp set up at the entrance of the festival.  I remembered seeing this ramp the last time I was in Berlin and it didn’t look like much but now I realize what it was for.

I was expecting Christmas folk music everywhere but I heard English Christmas Carols.  Among the people, I honestly heard more English and British English than I did German.  That just goes to show that this place was a major touristy area.

All of the smells this night were warm, sweet, desired smells.   The smell of warm red wine was everywhere.  I would expect coffee or hot tea but at festivals like these, warmed red wine is the popular choice.  I could still pick up on the roasted, caramelized nuts as well.  The smells from the “candy shack” just made my stomach go crazy.  The aroma from the gingerbread and the candy apples gave off a very sweet scent and sweet taste too, I might add.  A huge bath of chocolate sat on the counter that covered bananas, cherries, and strawberries.

I picked up a nutcracker ornament, a Russian stacker doll, and a Berlin pin for my Rotary Blazer as memorabilia pieces.  I also bought a candy apple and some German sweets for the way home.

To get to the bus we walked through one of the several larger malls in Berlin. Once again the Christmas decorations did not disappoint.  Throughout the mall it seemed like these golden lights were raining from the ceiling.  An enormous Christmas tree was positioned perfectly in the center of the mall’s courtyard with golden lights sprawled across its tree limbs. The decorator placed about twenty rounded ornament balls in a pattern to make it look like one huge ornament ball.  These gigantic decorations where placed all over this tree.

On the way home we got to the stretch of road that leads to the Brandenburg Gate but decided to drive the opposite way.  The view was astonishing.  Between the two roads is a separator with trees covered in gleaming lights.   Berlin was lit up that night. It left a photographic imprint in my mind that I will always be reminded of every Christmas throughout the rest of my life.

Click the Link Below to Check Out My Christmas Photos From Berlin

Christmas Time in Berlin:
Dec. 5th, 2009

Happy Late Thanksgiving to everyone in the States.   I hope everyone had a blessed feast.   I myself had an amazing Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is not celebrated here in Poland but I still prepared a Thanksgiving dinner a week ago for my host sister, mother, family, friends and my Polish teacher.

My preparation for the Thanksgiving feast started two days prior to the 26^th. I had to plan out what should be prepared for the meal keeping the traditional Thanksgiving foods in mind.  We were going to cook a turkey with stuffing, cranberry sauce, corn, peas, mash potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes or yams with melted marshmallows and a pumpkin pie. Just like home.

I e-mailed my mom in the U.S. wanting to know a few recipes to prepare.  I mainly was concerned for the stuffing, because I have never made it myself before. To me that seems to be the most difficult food to prepare next to the turkey.  My host mother wanted to help out so she “volunteered” to cook the turkey.  I had hinted for her to prepare it due to the fact I had no idea how to cook meat. She was happy to step in.

It was left up to me to prepare the sides.  Due to the fact that Poland doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving and doesn’t have the same food resources as the U.S. we could not prepare some recipes the same way..

I was really worried about the turkey.  I’ve only seen it sold as lunchmeat.   I explained to my mother how the turkey was prepared hoping she would know where to get a turkey.  She said there was a minor problem; that turkey here isn’t sold as a whole.  Only the slabs of breast meat are sold.  It was better than nothing.  So my mom purchased enough meat and seasoning for all ten of us.

One recipe that was impossible to accomplish was the sweet potatoes with marshmallows.  Here in Poland they don’t have plain white marshmallows. They only sell fruity flavored marshmallows.   I did bring a bag over from the States and I was planning on using those for this recipe.  The next problem was that in Poland or at least in my city, they don’t have sweet potatoes.  I asked around but no one knew what they were.  My mom knew what a sweet potato was but she’s never seen them here.  So… yeah, that recipe was thrown out.

I knew there wouldn’t be complications when preparing and cooking the mash potatoes because potatoes are a main food dish in Poland. Almost every meal is prepared with potatoes on the side.  The peas and corn I’ve seen sold in cans at our local grocery store.

As for the cranberry sauce, the grocery stores here sell jars of cranberry jellies and jams so I just decided to purchase a jar for the turkey.

Over the course of two days after school, my sister and I would go to the grocery store and pick up everything we needed for the dinner.  Here we have vegetable and fruit stands gathered in a parking lot everyday that sell different varieties of fruits and vegetables.  My family usually shops there if we can’t find what we’re looking for at the grocery store.

At one point I had a difficult time finding celery for the stuffing.  I asked my sister where it would be and she pointed out a basket with what seemed to be a vegetable shaped as a ball. For a few seconds I was entirely confused and told her that it couldn’t be celery but sure enough the basket was labeled as celery. It finally hit me that this ball was a celery root.  I’ve never seen what celery roots looked like but that’s what it was.  I explained that I needed the stem of the celery and after a few minutes we found a pack of celery stems under some lettuce.

That same day I also needed some ground up breakfast sausage meat for the stuffing.  My sister and I looked around and couldn’t find any.  I remember having hotdogs here and they tasted just like the breakfast sausage in the states.  I told my sister I needed meat that tasted like that . She still didn’t know what I needed.  At this point, I decided to improvise.  I purchased those sausages . The texture would be all wrong but the taste would be perfect for the stuffing.

On the morning of the 26^th I immediately went to work on the Thanksgiving feast.  Because Thanksgiving is an American holiday my school decided to give me the day off.  I’m glad they did because there was a lot of hard work involved to put everything together. In the morning I went to the grocery store to get some fresh potatoes, milk, drinks and bread for that night.  Once I got home I went to work on little things here and there. The stuffing took me the longest time to make because of all the ingredients and all of the steps to prepare it.

By the time my sister got home the stuffing was in the oven baking.  She then quickly and enthusiastically began to help me.  She had a good time making the Jello Instant Pumpkin Pie.  I brought over two boxes from the U.S. for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  Pumpkin pie isn’t sold here and the ingredients are nearly impossible to find to make one by scratch.

The rest of that afternoon my sister and I continued working on the food and praying that the stuffing would come out okay.  I pretty much improvised the whole recipe since I didn’t have the correct spices or ingredients.  It looked amazing when it came out of the oven and tasted great.

Once my mom came home from work she began cooking the turkey breasts.  She had seasoned the turkey the night before.  She cooked all of the pieces of turkey on the stove top and then put them in a glass tray into the oven.  We decided to add the stuffing to the glass tray too.

That was a bad idea…

Once the turkey was done we took the pan out of the oven and wow what a sight. The turkey and stuffing smelled delicious. The turkey pieces were a wonderful golden brown but my stuffing looked like mush.  It looked so bad, I didn’t even want to try it.  I think we put too much broth in the pan and made it soggy.  Once we scooped out all of the stuffing into a bowl I forced myself to try it and wow!  It was fantastic!!  My sister said not to worry because no one here in Poland even knew what it was supposed to look like.  Before the guests arrived, my sister, mother and I cleaned the house and arranged the living room so that the table could seat 10 people.

We set out the food.  One, by one, both sets of grandparents arrived with my host cousin and my Polish teacher.  We sat down and my sister helped me translate to my mom and grandparents the brief history of Thanksgiving and the reason we celebrate it today in the United States.  My teacher was very interested in the holiday and even took the time to look it up before she joined us.

Then we dug in!  My mom served everyone a little bit of everything to try.  The turkey was very well prepared and the spices made it taste great.  The mashed potatoes and gravy my sister and I made were a big hit with the others too.  I noticed that people were avoiding the stuffing until the very end but once they did, they enjoyed it.  I could see the surprise on some of their faces.  At one point my grandma was even scraping the side of the dish because she enjoyed it so much.  She even asked for the recipe. It is one of those things that I doubt I could repeat again even if I tried.

After dinner my sister served the pumpkin pie .  We had different reactions to it around the table.  My sister, her cousin and I, loved it.  My teacher thought it was too sweet.  Cakes and deserts here in Poland tend to be naturally sweetened, bland or bitter chocolate. The Jello kit was very sweet compared to what they’re typically used to.  My grandmother even mentioned that she could not even taste the pumpkin.  Overall, it was something new and they were glad to try it.

The rest of the night we enjoyed each others’ company.  Everyone enjoyed the whole feast and the holiday experience. It was certainly something to be thankful for.

I was really missing home that day not celebrating this holiday with my family, but, at the end of the day, I am truly thankful and grateful for being given the opportunity to celebrate this holiday with my host family here in Poland.

Here in my hometown of Koszalin there are many things for teenagers to do. We walk around the city, go shopping at the mall or even head to the cinema where we like to sit back on weekend nights and catch a movie.

The movie theater here is known as Multikino. It’s the second largest multiplex chain in Poland. This particular movie theater was only recently opened two years ago with the new Koszalin mall. This chain of theaters recently merged with another chain known as Silver Screen and now has 19 movie theaters in 13 cities in Poland and Ukraine.

As you walk into the theater lobby you feel as if you’re in a nightclub. The area gives off a dark, neon club vibe. This chain of theaters seems to attract teen to adult crowds.

Multikino

Upon entering, there is a ticketing counter. One difference from Polish cinemas and U.S. theaters is that when you buy your tickets you can reserve your seat. All seats in the movie theaters have numbers on them that match the number on your ticket. You can call ahead of time, reserve your seats online, or choose them at the ticket counter when you purchase them.

Prices
The average movie ticket price is about 18pln(~$6.50).
If you have a student I.D. you can purchase reduced tickets.
3D Movies are about 25pln(~$9.00).

Inside the lobby there is a snack bar with drinks such as smoothies, sodas, and alcoholic beverages. It also serves ice cream, cookies, and cakes too. Further inside, near the theater screens there is a traditional movie theater snack bar with soda, salty popcorn, nachos and candy.

Popcorn w/ Soda (No refills!)
Small: 8pln (~$2.80)
Medium: 10pln (~$3.60)
Large: 14pln (~$5.00)

Nachos w/ soda (No refills!)
Small: 8pln (~$2.80)
Large: 10pln (~$3.60)

I haven’t had the chance to experience other movie theaters in Poland, but the Miltikino here is very high-class. Apparently, the Multikino is more expensive compared to other theaters, but it has superior picture, sound, and seating. The Koszalin cinema has 6 screens in rooms of various sizes, but all are very spacious. I love the seating because it’s very roomy and the chairs make you feel like you are actually sitting at home watching the movie.

I’ve already been to two movies here which were This Is It and Fame. What I found different is that in addition to movie trailers, they also have commercials prior to the movie. Poland has a mix of trailers and just everyday items such as beef jerky, cars, banking, and laundry detergent.

Before I went to my first movie I was very interested in how they would show movies. I know that in some countries they dub the actors voices with the country’s language. In Poland they only do that for animated movies but add Polish subtitles for every movie. When a film is no longer being shown at the movie theater the employees take down all of the large promotional posters and set them on a table as an extra treat for customers. I managed to get a Fame poster to start my collection. Even though the movies are usually shown in English the posters and advertisements are translated into Polish.

Sława plakat/ Fame Poster

An alternative movie theater I haven’t been to yet is known as the Kryterium theater. I will finally get to go to that theater tonight, because I’m going to watch the premier of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, but more of that later. I did a bit of research and found that this movie theater was built inside an arts center eight years ago. This facility not only entertains with movies but, art fairs, dance lessons, and musical and theater performances are also held in this building. There is only one screen that hangs above the theater stage with roughly 420 seats in the room. Prices at this theater are significantly less compared to the bigger chain. This theater is fairly smaller so the movie has been selling out at a fast rate.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

I am a huge fan of Twilight. The second Twilight movie, New Moon, premieres this weekend! I for one am extremely excited about this second installment. The hype here in Poland is nothing compared to what’s seen in the U.S. I know that back home, stores are cashing in on the Twilight fan base selling t-shirts, jewelry, make-up, dolls, candy, etc. Here… almost nothing! We do have some Twilight Saga: New Moon posters in Teen magazines and just recently bookstores have been selling Twilight journals but other that there is no other merchandise. The bookstores are the only place where you see the movie actually being advertised other than the movie posters outside the movie theaters playing the motion picture.

Here in Poland every movie is advertised using information cards. On the front of these cards is the movie’s promotional poster with a summary of the movie on the back of this slip of paper. These are found inside movie theaters and bookstores.

Movie Descriptions: Front

Movie Descriptions: Back

Most girls here have read the books. The books are translated into Polish and are available at bookstores and local libraries. A few girls I’ve talked to really enjoy the story lines and romance in these novels but aren’t really into the whole fan craze. By fan craze, I mean along the lines of choosing character sides like Team Jacob or Team Edward as seen in the U.S. They are however very interested in seeing the movie up on-screen.

I was really hoping to watch the midnight premiere last night and I was excited thinking there wouldn’t be any waiting in long lines like in the United States because of the lack of fans wanting to see it that late. The one problem is… the movie theaters here don’t have midnight showings. The Multikino theater isn’t showing the movie at all! It does however give me the opportunity to see the other theater, because my sister and I are viewing the 9 o’clock showing at the Kryterium theater tonight. We will be wearing the New Moon t-shirts that my mother sent in the mail a few weeks ago for my birthday. I remember last year wearing my Twilight t-shirts to the Twilight showing and everyone had the exact same shirts on. I have a feeling we will be the only ones with these shirts this time!

Ksiezyc w Nowiu Plakat/ New Moon Poster

All Saints Day, Dzień Wszystkich Świętych, here in Poland is a very special holiday celebrated on November 1^st of each year.  This holiday is not like any other I’ve ever experienced in my life. It was a remarkable, extraordinary, and an unforgettable experience.

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When I first heard about All Saints Day from my sister, she basically described what exactly was to be seen.  She said all of the graves are covered and filled with flowers and lanterns as far as the eye could see.  She then referred to this day as the day of the dead, and immediately I thought about my Spanish lessons back in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and what I learned about The Day of The Dead in Mexico.  My Spanish teacher, Señor DiBernardo showed us videos of people in Mexico having celebrations, parties, and parades with bright decorations and colors everywhere for their loved ones who have passed away.  But, of course different countries celebrate holidays in different ways and that image of Mexico’s celebration was soon replaced with my own experience of the Polish holiday, Dzień Wszystkich Świętych, .

On the thirtieth of October my sister, mother, and I went to the Koszalin cemetery to clean and decorate my host families’ fathers’ grave.  When I got off of the bus all I could see were flowers and lanterns for sale.  Many people were also purchasing these items to decorate their loved ones graves.  We met up with Babcia (my host dad’s mother) and bought some white and red flowers to plant in pots and set on his grave.

While I was walking through the cemetery I noticed other families cleaning the fallen leaves off of the tombstones and dusting off the marble and stone slabs with damp cloths.  The designs of these tombs are all different shapes and sizes.  Almost every tombstone han the letters “Ś.P.” (Swiętej Pamięci) which means Holy Memory.  Also inscribed into most tombstones is the phrase, “Ave Maria”.  Unlike most of the tombs in the United States that  have just a head stone, tombs here have a head stone and a marble or stone slab laying on top of the place the person was buried.  This slab is usually where people place pots of flowers and lanterns.  Some slabs even have flowerpots built into them to grow plants on the tomb itself.  Every tomb is different in its’ own way whether  it is the design of the tomb or just the arrangement of the flowers placed near it.

Unfortunately, while we were there preparing my host dad’s grave for November 1^st there was a funeral being held not too far away from us.  Many people were gathered around the resting place and a few firemen in their uniforms.  A ceremony was being held in Polish so I really didn’t understand most of the priest’s speech but I did hear the wonderful music being played for this ceremony.  It did not sound sad at all.   The tone gave off a very peaceful vibe.

November 1^st

On November 1  my mother, sister, and I headed to the cemetery to place lanterns and say a prayer for all of the loved ones and people they knew who had  passed away. This trip back to the cemetery on this day was totally different. Chaos followed.  Today was the actual celebration of Dzień Wszystkich Świętych, and people everywhere!  There were so many people that it was actually very hard to get through the crowds right when we got off of the bus.  Once we found our way out of the crowd all you could see were even more flowers and lanterns for sale lining the gate of the cemetery.  Tables with different homemade pastries were present for people to buy cakes and pies for gatherings held at family homes following the celebrations. We would have a get together that night at Babcia and Dziadek house.

The Flowers For Sale

The Lanterns For Sale

The Pastries For Sale

Even thou we were at the cemetery just two days prior to this event the cemetery totally changed.  There were flowers and lanterns everywhere and just like my sister said they were to be seen as far as the eye could see.  The area still looked bright, vibrant, and beautiful with all of the colors scattered everywhere.  Cemeteries in my mind just seem to be a very grey, respectful, calm, and a simple place for people to be buried.  But here, on this day, the view was just breathtaking.

While we were going from grave to grave my sister pointed out all very interesting engravings   for me to see.  She showed me the smaller grave in the ground where cremated people were buried and the marble little huts where other cremated bodies are places.  Nearby was an area dedicated to important people such as doctors, professors, and government officials of  Koszalin.   There was also a grave she pointed out to me of a man who passed away on his one-hundredth birthday.   There were some with statues of Jesus and some with replicas of themselves.   Karolina pointed out a few tombs that were written in Russian too.  Every grave was unique.

After placing the lanterns on my families loved ones graves we went home to get some rest so we could return by nightfall.  Now nighttime on this very special day has its own wonders.  In the day time all you could see were the beautiful flowers, but at night that’s when the vibrant lanterns showed there magic!  Millions of candles lit up the whole cemetery and this place of sorrow turned into a place of awe.  A huge monument in the cemetary was dedicated to the Russian soldiers who helped Koszalin so many years ago. It h had hundreds of lanterns surrounding it that twinkled in the night.  That night was a chilly one indeed, but when you approached the groups of lanterns you could feel the warmth of the flames immediately.

There is almost no way to describe my feeling that night while walking through the cemetery.  I saw people young and old still setting out lanterns to add more light to this wonderful evening.  In the youth section of the cemetery I saw a very young boy placing a lantern on another child’s grave. A couple not too far from them were seated on a bench, which are commonly built in front of or alongside the graves, cuddling each other on this cold autumn night while remembering their loved one.  At that moment, I realized that this day was to bring loved ones together, to respectfully celebrate and pray for the passing of someone close and dear to them, and to show that they will never be forgotten.

Click the link below to check out the photo album corresponding to this blog.

Dzień Wszystkich Świętych (All Saints Day)
Photo Album